Saturday Night is a biographical comedy-drama that follows the night of the 1975 premiere of NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Leading up to the premiere, tensions run high as producer & creator Lorne Michaels, along with other comedians & writers, try to prepare for the very first broadcast. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by himself & Gil Kenan, the film stars an ensemble cast that includes Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber, Tommy Dewey, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, and J.K. Simmons.

To be honest, this film got more hype than I could have ever anticipated. Jason Reitman, while great in his own right, has not delivered a film like this before, especially one that is already getting quite a bit of award recognition. Co-written by Gil Kenan, Kenan also didn’t quite deliver with his Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire either earlier this year. With a wonky release rollout this year, Saturday Night certainly seemed like… something. Needless to say, the end result easily settled those worries away.

From a production standpoint, I loved this movie. I used to work in production management on film sets, so I could easily understand the drive that Lorne Michaels (LaBelle) has. Even though he acts more as the creator of the show, he is still the one that has to deal with the behind-the-scenes drama. I’ve been there. It can be tough, yet it is so rewarding in the end. You are having to make stuff up as you go along and trust the process. I feel good with where I am in life, but this film easily made me miss working in production management more than any other film as of recently. More than The Fabelmans, which is ironic since LaBelle also starred in that.

I am not too sure what this film could be nominated for. Maybe Best Picture, Best Costume Design, or even Best Original Screenplay, but I know one thing for sure… this film works because of its stellar cast. I can’t emphasize how spot on the casting is. Cory Michael Smith is an easy standout as Chevy Chase. He literally becomes him and you cannot see the difference. Matt Wood as John Belushi is also incredible. Nicholas Braun as Andy Kaufman AND Jim Henson is just terrific. I cannot emphasize how perfect the casting is for the film and how well directed each and everyone of them are.

Jason Reitman’s direction feels like his old school days. He has experience in indie films, but now he has even more experience directing ensemble casts. There is a lot that he has to manage here. While the story focuses solely from Michaels’ perspective for the most part, Reitman still finds time to incorporate other key figures that help push its story and its themes forward.

Some may some that the script for this mimics something that Aaron Sorkin would make. While that may be partially true, there is no denying that Sorkin actually couldn’t create this. It feels like Reitman has a first-hand account on the film’s event. Reitman was only born two years after the film takes place. I believe between his own experience in the film industry and being the son of Ivan Reitman that this made him the perfect choice to tell this story that is funny, sincere, and cutthroat.

The film has a chaotic nature. The camera work is almost entirely shot handheld, bringing the audience into the scenario. We are panicking just as much as everyone else is in the film. With a 109-minute runtime that includes credits, it’s amazing how fast paced the editing is, because it certainly feels longer than 109 minutes. What makes this runtime so unique is the fact that it is shot like it is in real time. There is always something going on and we are seeing every minute of it. That actually makes me believe this film could get a nomination for Best Editing.

Throughout the film, I was certainly teetering on my score. After some thought, I feel good with where I am with it. While the writing and acting are solid, and I can relate to it to a certain extent, it does feel like the film can have a lot of cliches & coincidences. Just as one problem rises, it is quickly resolved through something that doesn’t quite feel like actually happened. There is also the climax that truly made me question if it really happened. It felt like it was added by the studio to give the viewers something rewarding. Maybe I am wrong, but coming from my own personal experience in production, I have a hard time buying that it happened that way. Even if it did, give it more realism, much like the rest of the script can be.

In order to make this film work, you have to be thrown right into the situation. Unfortunately, that results in a lot of backstory in terms of plot & characterization that are missing. If the film had an extra 20 minutes to explain what was going on, it would help viewers understand the situation better. I can’t imagine viewers unfamiliar with SNL to truly understand what’s going on. The film is missing that purpose in the beginning to care about the outcome.

Overall, Saturday Night exceeded my own expectations. I would not be upset at all to see this get award recognition. The casting is extraordinary, with some mimicking their counterpart. It’s a film that truly captures the chaotic nature of production. It’s certainly a film that I believe everyone should seek out as soon as they can.

VERDICT: 4/5 (Great)